The Jaguar XK8 Was a Revolutionary Car in the 1990s

I miss Doug climbing into tiny back seats. He should start doing that again.

I think that is one of the most beautiful cars ever made. I miss my 1998 XK8 convertible.

Always LOVED the look of this car. Super elegant and classy yet somehow aggressive at the same time. Some Jaguar cars are just stunning (XJ-220, XJR-15, XK8)

Doug the kind of guy whose most reliable car is a Ford GT.

Was gorgeous back then and is still incredible looking by modern standards.

The 'weird' key was a Ford Europe design. It was used in Ford Europe products for a very long time.

1. Yes, we do turn the traction off, & they do great burnouts.. 2. We do use the J-Gate, both to accelerate, decelerate, & when going down steep hills. 3. I`m glad you acknowledge the fact that its not supposed to be a 911 challenger (although the XKR will keep up surprisingly well in many circumstances), it supposed to be a relaxing, comfortable Merc SL challenger that will drive you 500 miles in 1 hit & you get out feeling great. The fact they are valued higher than the SL in Germany, should tell you something about them..

The J gate limits how high the transmission shifts. If you put it in 3 it’ll start in first, shift through the gears and stop in third. It’s pretty cool for in town driving.

Those weird cylindrical keys are actually really common on late 90’s and early 2000’s european ford cars. I had a Mondeo (Contour in the US) with keys like that and I’m pretty sure the Fiesta, Escort and Focus of that era had them too. Fun fact: On most ford cars from that era you use the key to open the hood, There is a keyhole behind the ford badge in the grille. You could flip the Ford logo up to expose the keyhole.

The story of the XK8 / DB7 relationship is actually more interesting than Doug tells it. Jaguar had been working on an F-type replacement to the XJS throughout the 1980s, but Ford killed it as production costs would have been huge and Jaguar had just lost money on the disappointing XJ220 launch and prioritized a generation of the XJ sedan. Jaguar's racing partner TWR had been involved in the F-type's development, and pitched a cheaper, simplified version of the concept using mostly XJS underpinnings to Aston Martin, who wanted a new coupe but had no money. When Jaguar saw the DB7 they realized their oversight, and rapidly developed the XK8 from the same platform. So a Jaguar, became an Aston, which became a Jaguar.

Absolutely love these, on my short list of future purchases. I think it really holds up with the E-type inspired design language, and getting a solid wood dash like that in something other than a Rolls is a treat to me. There's still a lot of people out there that appreciate a nice cruiser that gives a smooth but competent ride without all the Nurbergring inspired handling, these are a great way to eat up some miles.

One of the most beautiful cars of that era, absolutely gorgeous and iconic design.

He missed the ultimate quirk! The wooden dash is shaped like the wings of the Spitfire as the car was built in the plant that used to build Spitfire planes in England during the war.

This is my favorite XK generation. The looks of these have definitely aged very well. You can put it in any environment and it would look fantastic moving or sitting still.

I still have really good memories of traveling to England to visit my uncle and being picked up in his new XK8 convertible in british racing green. I was around 10 years old at the time. It was the coolest thing and I had to brag about it to all my friends back in Norway 😂

I’ve always liked how regular Jags of that era had green badges but the supercharged / R versions had red badges

The mid-90s and early-00s are favorite generation of cars. They have the perfect blend of analog and modern.

Imagine how cool this car must have been in the 90s . Still is

When the XK8 came out I was struck by its beauty, and I still am. As a child I was transfixed when I saw the Jaguar E type, and I think the heritage of the E type is the source of the XK8's appeal. Thanks for the video

Had a 2003 XK8 4.2L Convertible, British Racing Green exterior, tan interior Really great looking unique cars, but unless super well cared for, they fall apart and become a heap of junk really fast. Hard to remember every little thing that went wrong with mine in the years I had it (third owner). Cracked leather everywhere, constant battery drain, window regulators that constantly needed to be reset even after being replaced, random engine faults on the dash that would throw the car into limp mode all the time, the rear view mirror fell off the windshield and needed to be remounted, the hazard button literally broke stuck into the dash from being used so much, the cup holders broke because they are flimsy and terrible, the seat motors both died, the latch in the passenger door failed on me and my passenger had to hold the door shut for the drive home, had to replace fuses all the time, and just a few other things. Otherwise a fun car that turned heads at 72k miles lol This one has been truly well cared for.